#AskGaryVee Episode 122: What I Would Do If I Was Graduating College Today

- On this episode we talk Snapchat marketing, email marketing, and what I'm up to in making an app. (electronic music) ♫ You ask questions. ♫ I answer them. ♫ This is the #AskGaryVee Show. Hey everybody, this is Gary Vay-ner-chuk and this is episode 122 of the #AskGaryVee Show. I'm very laser focused this Monday morning. It's that six a. m. yoga Stunwin that gets me into the right mindset, feeling very good. I had a tremendous weekend. Did some longform Facebook posts on Sunday that completely ripped the house down. Getting a lot of head nods here from the team. Felt really good about that. So that's intriguing. I'm really enjoying the interaction. Spent a ton of time with the kids, feeling pretty good. I can smell football in the air as training camps are starting to open up very shortly. That excites me but I'm really ready India for a very, very, very laser... as a matter-of-fact, Game Boy is cool but if laser tag was on the table that would make much more sense for this lasery Monday focus that I'm bringing to episode 122 of the #AskGaryVee show. So, India, I don't know how your weekend was but - Great. - Really? - I'm a Jets fan. - That's nice, I very much know this you saw my response to you wearing that shirt. I'm pumped India is a Jets fan is a good pro... by the way, yeah, we this show has not seen, when did we, wait a minute, we went through Jets season last year. - [India] Yeah. - [Voiceover] Oh yeah. - But it was such a shit season that it didn't really impact the show. I have bigger hopes this year. So get ready I think uh, the show is a hell of a lot more momentum going into this year. So, India let's get into the shooooooow. (laughs) - [India] That's too funny. - Where are our t-shirts on this? People are demanding the shooooow t-shirts. I don't see any of the designers around. I saw Zak coming up the elevator-- - [Voiceover] Making their working on the shirt. - Maybe they are Let's go.

- [Voiceover] Natalie asks, "If you were a college graduate "today and didn't have your family business "how would you handle the job market? " - Natalie thank you so much. Big shout out to everybody who's out in LA. That was a really phenomenal night for me as well. A lot of peeps came out, I appreciate it. Well, first of all, I wouldn't attack the job market, because even at the age of nine or ten, long before I even realized my parents had a liquor store as my dad managed that store and was buying into a business I was already slinging, as you heard in episode 118, you know blue curtains and alarm clocks. And clearly you've heard the stories of lemonade and baseball cards. There is no attacking the job market from my DNA because I would try to start a business especially right now. I would completely take advantage of the fact that there is an enormous amount of dumb money trying to become investors in start-ups. Meaning, unlike the generation where I became an angel investor in 2009, 2008, 2010, 2011. Right now every dentist, every real estate agent, every trust fund baby in their thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties anybody who had a good career on Wall Street is now an investor looking for their Mark Zuckerberg. I would take advantage of that. I would network. I assume if I was in college I would ask professors. I would ask friends and family. I would just ask. I think when you're at the bottom, asking is quite important. And so I would ask for at bats, try to network. I would use the incredible tool that is known as Twitter and I would be replying to people that I aspire to get in touch with. I don't, you know it's funny to me to see the people that give up after asking to meet with me for a few minutes, after three or four nos. And I know that I'm inducing now a ton of Twitter chatter to meet with me. And I hope you saw the video I made for myself, the advice I've given myself. DRock, give them a two second clip. I need to get my shit together so I apologize I'm letting you down. But the truth is I need to heed to this advice I'm giving myself. You know, so I won't see you but I would have saw you six months ago and Cuban, or Jack Welsh, or Zucks, or Elon Musk, you just never know when they'll actually sit down with you. And then there's a million people that maybe you don't know who've been successful, who've got leverage, who've got money. And so I would attack the reality of the marketplace. And marketplace right this second is tons of cash, looking for young people with ideas. I think it's a broken bubble. I think that gets exposed. I think 99% of people are not going to deliver on that investment. I think I'd be one of the 1% that would deliver on that investment. So I'd be looking for while in college and like I did in college instead of looking to hook-up and do keg stands I'd be looking for business partners and business opportunities. I think for anybody else that is not wired like me which I think is a far majority of this show's audience I would tell you this piece of advice. If you were 22 years old, if you were the amount of people that settle for the first paying job versus living with 19 friends on the floor and eating 99 cent meals blows my mind in lieu of trying to get your dream job versus what you've settled for. Please from 22 to 24 don't settle. Go for your dream job. Pound for it. And if you can't get into VaynerMedia (ping) then go for the second best, or third best, or fourth best on your list. Please start with the moon and go backwards. The amount of you that start at a hilltop and just settle there is an enormous mistake because 22 to 24 is when you should live really, really humble, ghetto, dirt. Like that's it, that's the time. To settle in the middle only lends itself to so much upside. So aspire for as high as you possibly can and be patient. it sucks not having a job in September when all your friends do. Or your friends that were juniors the year before are going back to school and the pressure is on and maybe your parents don't like that you don't have a job but that's exactly when you should be buying random stuff at Goodwill and selling it on eBay to pay your $80. 00 worth of rent because you have 94 roommates in a studio. That's it, get dirty. Cause, and I know a paused there, cause getting dirty is the price to having what you want. The dramatic misunderstanding that amazing things come with a price. A lot of people talk about rich kids. I really negatively look at rich kids because I look negatively at my kids because they're about to be rich kids. That's just real. Sorry Xander and Misha, eat it. But you know what comes with the price of being a rich kid? People completely do, you've basically lost in the game of winners. You've basically from day one you were born into money. You actually aren't good, you were handed it. You suck. That's it, you've lost. That's the price that comes along with it. And take it from somebody who cried everyday because his dad had a small family business and I was petrified because I knew I had the talent that everybody would say things were handed to me. Cried everyday with my mom on the phone I'm not coming into the family business even though I could help it, even though I want to, I don't. Because then everybody is going to say, that it was handed to me. In the scheme of things I was an idiot I didn't realize how small it was to the world. But everything's got a price. You're beautiful?! LIfe is much better when you're beautiful. That's what we all say. I agree with that. But, more realistically, you get completely disrespected. You get disrespected. You can't be smart, you can't be good, you're just too beautiful. I'm serious. I'm really tired of people thinking everybody's got it better. Everybody has advantages. You know what the advantages of being ghetto and on welfare and being nothing and having nothing being a child of a homeless parent. You know what the advantage is? You're (bleep) angry. You've got a ridiculous chip on your shoulder. You want to stick it to everybody. All of 'em. Use what you've got. That was good. - [Staphon] I wasn't sure if that was another pause. - You weren't sure. We're ready? No, that's it. We can move on. - [Steve] There's an article making the rounds saying that the old lady ideals who are vaguely financially successful are the only reason any one of those are making any money is because their parents were able to pay off their college loans, basically. - Yeah - [Steve] Basically. - Yeah, I mean because the college loans are bringing everyone down. I mean this college loan... I mean college is the racket. It is the singular racket. These are businesses that are... I was just walking with James Orsini and he said I went to college this weekend. I don't want to blow up his daughter's spot but like wow. You know what his line was? It was like Disneyland. Of course it was like Disneyland, James. They made it look like Disneyland so you buy it. Like the racket, the racket. College loans that you can't even declare bankruptcy to get out of. That gives you a piece of paper that does not map to anything that's going on in the real world. Zero. Zero reality. Other than the jobs, lawyers, doctors... I know the cliche shit but I'm talking business and you're not watching this for lawyer shit. So business just does not map. Like if I could spur some excitement right now, is if you were watching this and you were collecting debt to go to college to be a business person, quit right now. Send this email to mom. Sorry mom, (bleep) off. I don't want you to wrap your self-esteem into little Johnny's life so you can tell your (bleep) friends that he goes to Dartmouth. He's going to (bleep) lose, get him the (bleep) out. Off to a solid start here, huh? (laughter) India? - It's from Saba and Anika. - Oh, video.

- Hey, Gary! Huge fans of your show. We've watched all 109 episodes. - And we thought it's about time we ask you a question. - Here it is. I co-founded Ice Cream Social a few months ago and we're planning to have a livestream summit in September. Here's my question. Without having a huge following and brand equity - how do we approach companies to participate in our livestream summit? - Thanks, Gary. (electronic music) - Hold on, I like the music. That's a tremendous question and actually a very easy one for me to answer. You need to sell people the upside versus the reality. Selling often times is also predicated on where you're going versus what you have to offer now-- (electronic music) India. And so what I would sell to them is like look we're two badass chicks, we're going to win and you're going to want to be a part of this. And if you invest in us now, if you give me a $1,000 check now although we might only be worth $350, or it $500 in your mind, I promise you that when you write us a check for $2,000 in two years, it's going to be $10,000 cause I'm going to give you an 80% discount cause you Ricky Thompson are making the committment and you're believing in me. That is absolutely the only way to sell something that you don't have is you're about to become Period. And by the way as somebody who bets on that kind of stuff all day long there are plenty of people that like the idea of locking in the next three years of sponsorship. And, again, if you guys bail on this you know you gotta give the money back. You gotta be honorable. It's a long game. The only way for you to get sponsors is to sell where you're going and make promises of financial upside for them in the future. Again, hey conemaker, hey people... this is ice cream social, right? Like I'm not exactly sure exactly what you're doing but hey business that cares about the audience, this year it's going to be smaller but we're hustling and this is who we are. And they're either going to believe you or not. This is something that I'm talking a lot about with people who have worked here for two or three years at Vayner and are complaining about stuff. And I'm look if you've worked for me for two to three years and you don't fully, blindly believe in me then you should not work here. If I've not been able to prove to you at this point we're not getting anywhere because my patience is running out and so... I don't know why I just wanted to randomly say that for anybody who's watching at VaynerMedia. The point of it is, is you, they're either gonna... oh, I remember they're either going to trust you or not when you sell them the dream of where you're going over the next two to three years. So sell them the dream and then execute the dream.

- [Voiceover] Melissa asks, "When are you going to make "an app and what would it be like? "why not have a jab jab app? " - Melissa, on this show I talk a whole lot about betting on your strengths and not focusing on your weaknesses. I as a product, leaders don't feel like very strong on it. I've got to much going on right now. I don't want to stretch myself thin. Everytime I build products they're always half pregnant. If I ever build an app or product it will be the singular thing I do or at least the one-a a la VaynerMedia. And so I'm not interested in building it. It doesn't, like even the question... It's crazy, India. Like even when I started like answering the question it doesn't feel good. Like I was clearly passionate about the things I talked about in the first question. I'm clearly not passionate right now. You can even tell by my general energy in answering this. I just have zero interest in building an app. I'm aware that apps are good. That's the word on the street. They do well. You can build big businesses. I understand but I understand myself better than my ambition to scratch that itch which is actually quite low. It's been higher in the past but I think I mature along the way as well. And, you know, sorta eating my own dog food and I just don't, I haven't invested in it. The only reason this show exists is I invested in infrastructure. If I decide to hire two full-time developers and really, really which I could do at any point. That's not the problem. It's me giving them, him and her, the energy to actually architect the map. Right now I just don't feel compelled to do that at all. And so, and so I'm actually gonna like... you can see I've brought the big comma in. This is where I want to make it more valuable for a lot of you. Way to many of you and obviously this weekend I got to see a lot of engagement and really dug into some rabbit holes on you. Way to many of you are doing one of two things incorrectly, in my opinion. One you're letting the market tell you what you should do. You should start an app, you should be a guru, you should sell ebooks, you should start a company. You should, you should, right? Number two. You are actually convincing yourself because you aspire to be something you're not. I aspire to build the next Instagram or Snapchat. That'd be really rad, it'd be really great. It's just not in me. So more self awareness, less pondering, less listening, listen to yourself. Except when yourself is bullshitting you then counter it with stop bullshitting me, Gary. Alright, sorry. - [India] (mumbles) - Hi Gary, my name is Annmarie

and I'm wondering how small businesses can best utilize Snapchat? Like should they be posting coupons or promotions or maybe doing day in the life diaries? Would love to know your answer, thanks. - Annemarie? Annemarie, the answer is yes. All of the above. You need to put out compelling content. Compelling content in my opinion falls into two very distinct categories. One, entertainment and escapism. Two, utility and value. That's it. That's how I see it. Either you're entertaining me because I need to escape the reality of I can't pay rent, that I have 94 roommates because this idiot on the Internet told me to find my dream job. (rewind sound) buying random stuff at Goodwill and selling it on eBay to pay your $80. 00 worth of rent because you have 94 roommates in a studio. That's it. Get dirty. Or-- (laughter) You like the recall? You like the recall, Steve. You always like the recalls. - Well, you know, callbacks are good. - Callbacks. Thank you for the proper terminology. Or two you are a utility. Like you just bring absolute value. I think the show works because I think I mixed both in pretty nicely. But it's one or the other. So on Snapchat you either gotta do that entertain them, make it funny. Don't forget the context of Snapchat, skew is younger. You know a lot of it is mundane silly stuff. Or you can bring utility which is you gamify it and say here's a coupon or a code, save it because it's going to disappear. You play with that. Utility or entertainment. It's very clear. It's funny. You led the question. Amber, you know the answer. I love having you on the show but you absolutely led the answer which is you gave the examples that would work. You know what to do. Now it's less about asking me and more about doing it. - [India] (mumbles) Amy Porterfield. - Amy Porterfield. I know Amy.

- Hi, I'm Amy Porterfield and I've got a question for you. So in your book, The Thank You Economy you talk a lot about letting your audience decide if they want to get to know you more versus persuading them that they should. So when it comes to email marketing what are some tips you have for communicating with your audience in a way that doesn't kill the connection because you're being to persuasive? - Hmmm. That's a good question. Email marketing is a tricky one. You know I think, Amy, it's funny you reference Thank You Economy. I think the answer to email marketing is found in my next book title which is Jab, Jab Right Hook. I mean think about all the email services you are signed up to and/or have been over the last three or four years as so many of you start to siphon off of being on email lists. So many of those email lists are in pure utility. Right? They're retail, they're giving you deals. They're very action-oriented. Nobody in that space is throwing enough jabs. We at Wine Library aren't. I still think I want to, I'm going to use this to take my own advice. We need to start sending at least once or twice a month. It's so hard because you're siphoned on the drug of sales. But you've got to put out content. As a matter of fact, Steve, I want you to work with Brandon right now. I want to send an email with the last five stories we wrote on the site and I want to send it out as just with a title of like Reading For You Around the Wine World. Although let's play with it a little bit. So that. So instead of everyone being like here's a deal, $49. 99. Game Boy, old school. You know you need to start putting out the history of Nintendo. Right? So more content. More content that kind of allows people to be less on the defense. Every mail that comes in is like it's at you, right? With content that has no purpose other than to entertain or inform or bring utilitarian value to the user, you're getting their guard down. You're bringing them value which opens them up so much more for the sale. And so I think that's the way to go. I really do. I think and I think mixing the two is intriguing. You know I'm curious what Steve and I are about to do with Wine Library lends itself to more content in the mix of the sale. And I don't like blending jabs and right hooks but I always like testings. A bunch of people always ask me, like Gary did you read Jab, Jab Right Hook these posts on Facebook and Instagram this weekend don't feel native. Well maybe they are. I mean by results of the way people responded to Facebook. Maybe they're very native, maybe native changes because native does change. And so, always testing. That's it? - [India] Yep. - Great. That was a good show. I like that show. Question of the day and actually lurkers a lot of you came out this weekend. I need more of you. To define a lurker to you if you do not know what I mean it's you're a piece of crap. You watch a show. You take, take. I'm not charging you for it and you've never commented which is the only fuel and payback that I ask for. The only one. You just take it. You're just a taker. You know what? You're not a lurker, you're a taker. That feels even worse. You're a goddamn taker. So please if you're a taker, jump in and leave a comment and say hey I'm enjoying the show. Hey cool. well let me answer the following question which I think is interesting. What is your favorite email list that you're on right now? Not all time, right this second. Which email service is providing you the most value? You keep asking questions, I'll keep answering them. Good tight show. (electronic music)